Gearing up your startup for marketing success is a long and hard journey. It involves several rounds of experimentation and ideation before you have the right audience segmentation. In 2022, startups will lock horns to achieve marketing prowess as the business environment gets even more competitive. We’re experiencing a paradigm shift in marketing techniques with next-gen methods such as AI-based predictive segmentation coming into play, being employed by 54% of e-commerce players in the UK and US.
Thankfully, alongside the competition, the tools and techniques for marketers have also grown. Savvy marketers can turn things around with their business acumen and the right tool in their hands.
As we kickstart 2022 with aspirations and grand plans, we have compiled a list of impactful marketing tools that will help startups on their marketing journey. Furthermore, to ensure that no stone remains unturned, the list comprehensively covers all domains of digital marketing as listed below.
- Marketing Project Management
- Customer Chat Automation
- Marketing Analytics
- Video Marketing
- Email Marketing Automation
- Social Media Marketing
- SEO and Content Marketing
- Paid Ad Management
Let’s explore every tool in detail.
ProofHub – Marketing Project Management
ProofHub is one tool that will help you manage all the execution sides of the marketing campaigns. It’s essentially a project management tool that helps you centralize work tasks and brings your marketing teams onto a single communication platform. It combines up to 8 work apps such as tasks, files, time tracking, team chat, etc., in one powerful package.
You can plan the progression of marketing campaigns, discuss new ideas and ensure that the team is fruitfully collaborating on tasks. Marketing managers simplify campaigns by assigning work items and dutifully track everything from one dashboard. A detailed Kanban board and workflow system helps managers build a solid marketing business process.
When it comes to ensuring that marketing projects are efficiently managed and delivered within project scope, ProofHub is an undeniable SaaS tool that startups must consider.
Top Features of ProofHub
- Task Management – Assign marketing tasks, track progress, and improve execution.
- Campaign Planning – Use Kanban boards and Gantt charts to plan campaigns effectively.
- Team Communication – 1:1 chat, group chat, and Discussion boards.
- File Collaboration – Share marketing collateral, mark comments and obtain visual feedback using the proofing tool.
- Time Sheets – track billable hours for client projects and make project invoicing easier.
- Reporting – Get in control of team performance and productivity with detailed project reports.
Pricing
ProofHub is offered at a flat fee of $89 per month with unlimited projects.
MobileMonkey – Customer Chat Automation
Today, customers actively engage with brands using chat messaging, and MobileMonkey automates the very thing for startups. It offers a cohesive platform for managing incoming chat messages from various digital platforms such as website chat, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, SMS, etc.
Sales managers can not only keep track of chat conversations but also set up automated replies. It simplifies the task of managing scattered conversations by bringing everything onto one platform. MobileMonkey has targeted plans for agencies, in-house marketers, and SMBs, depending upon their core marketing requirements.
It’s a must-try tool in case you have a multi-platform presence with healthy chat traffic.
Top Features of MobileMonkey
- SMS Marketing – Send marketing SMS campaigns with reply automation.
- Instagram DMs – manage incoming DMs with automated reply bots.
- Facebook Messenger – automate message replies and multiple conversations
- Website Chat – set up chatbots, sales, and customer support workflows for your website chat window.
Pricing
MobileMonkey offers pricing information on a quote basis.
Google Analytics (GA 4) – Marketing Analytics
Google introduced the latest version of Analytics called GA 4 recently, which offers smart insights and even more fine-grained reporting. It’s one of the most widely used website analytics tools in the market, with several features useful to marketers.
You can track campaign performance, set up UTM tracking, and keep a cat’s eye on vital stats such as website traffic, acquisition, and user demographics. The latest features include cohort analysis, automated report building, and intelligent metrics that make it easier for marketers to run their campaigns.
From startups to enterprises, Google Analytics is one indispensable tool for measuring digital marketing performance.
Top Features of Google Analytics
- Detailed Reporting – access detailed reports on customer acquisition, website traffic, lead generation, and more.
- Custom Dashboards – create custom reporting dashboards for marketing performance tracking.
- Automated Reports – get one-click reports for given metrics with intelligent insights.
- Campaign Monitoring – set up tracking to effectively monitor and pivot marketing campaigns.
Pricing
Google Analytics is available at no cost to marketers.
Vidyard – Video Marketing
Right through 2021 and now in 2022, video marketing has boomed. Vidyard is one solution that makes it easy for marketers to use videos in their marketing efforts and gain better engagement. It allows marketers to publish videos on websites, newsletters, and even sales emails with its video hosting solutions.
It goes several steps ahead of a YouTube embed as it offers detailed analytics of video playback. It allows marketers to access video SEO insights and strategize how to use video in upcoming campaigns.
Startups can leverage Vidyard for all kinds of video marketing campaigns that are targeted for sales, lead generation, or boosting engagement on their web properties. It’s a comprehensive solution for making video easier for marketers.
Top features of Vidyard
- Video Analytics – analyze how the video is performing with the viewership
- Video SEO – check vital video SEO stats to strategize better
- Video Personalization – personalize videos to add custom branding touch
- Video Hosting – host videos on Vidyard and publish them anywhere for easier outreach
Pricing
Vidyard’s pricing ranges between $15 per month billed annually to $1250 per month, depending upon the features opted for.
GetResponse – Email Marketing Automation
GetResponse is a full suite of marketing automation tools that startups can employ for better lead capturing. At the core, it offers a smart email marketing solution that helps marketers send email campaigns, track performance, and integrate other marketing functions with it.
On top of it, GetResponse also offers landing pages, funnel automation, and trigger-based automation that takes email campaigns one step ahead. It enables marketers to build a full marketing experience that increases the probability of conversions and boosts sales.
GetResponse has also added a website builder and sign-up forms to its arsenal of marketing tools.
Top Features of GetResponse
- Email Marketing – build, send and track email newsletter effectively
- Landing Pages – convert visitors with magnetic landing pages
- Marketing Automation – automate marketing functions such as welcome emails and lead opt-ins
- Triggers – set up triggers for various marketing tools using GetResponse
Pricing
GetResponse’s pricing ranges between $15 per month billed annually to $99 per month, depending upon the features opted for.
Buffer – Social Media Marketing
The power of Social Media is hard to ignore for any startup in 2022. Buffer is a social media specialist that enables marketers to plan social media content, publish strategically and measure engagement with detailed analytics. It’s one of the most comprehensive tools to try out if you’re in a social media management position at your organization.
With Buffer, you can create content calendars for the entire month in advance. It automatically posts content on social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using platform integrations. You can not only understand what works with your audiences but also increase the effectiveness of your social media content with smart insights.
If you’re planning to leverage social channels for marketing in 2022, Buffer deserves your attention.
Top Features of Buffer
- Publishing – automate content publishing for social media platforms.
- Analytics – dive deep into top-performing posts and engagement driving content.
- Engagement – Reply to comments with Buffer’s integrated engagement suite.
- Start Page – build landing pages for generating leads from Social Media channels.
Pricing
Buffer charges a fee of $5 per month when billed annually for each social media platform you manage using the tool.
Ahrefs – SEO and Content Marketing
Ahrefs is the holy grail for Search Engine Optimization and Content Marketing with a powerful data engine. Just like Google Search Engine, Ahrefs offers insightful marketing data for links from around the web to marketers. It can be used to analyze traffic, broken links, marketing opportunities and find content gaps.
Ahrefs also offers tools for planning keywords and checking backlinks. It’s one tool that will go a long way in configuring SEO campaigns while smartly monitoring them. Its reporting dashboards inform marketers of performance fluctuations and keyword rank analysis that is extremely useful in maintaining a strong SEO foothold.
SEO and Content Marketing are never going out of fashion; therefore, startups must look into Ahrefs for their 2022 marketing goals.
Top Features of Ahrefs
- Site Explorer – explore site backlinks, traffic, and vital marketing stats for competitor analysis.
- Keyword Explorer – check the stats for relevant keywords and strategize accordingly in your content.
- Site Audit – audit sites for better marketing insights and metrics.
- Rank Checker – track the rank of your keywords for proactive monitoring.
Pricing
Ahref’s pricing ranges between $82 per month billed annually to $832 per month, depending upon the features opted for.
AdEspresso – Paid Ad Management
Paid advertising is one of the strongest sources of business growth for startups. AdEspresso consolidates the top three sources of Media Buying – Facebook, Google, and Instagram ads into one manageable solution. Marketers can configure campaigns for all three platforms, manage performance and collaborate with their team for better optimization.
It reduces the legwork required for managing three different accounts and analyzing performance for each platform separately. Using AdEspresso, paid advertisement is easier to carry out and doesn’t require you to spend hours delving into analytics. You can monitor various campaigns in one consolidated dashboard.
If you’re looking to improve the ROI of your media buying campaigns, AdEspresso is a must-try.
Top Features of AdEspresso
- Create Campaigns – configure and run ad campaigns for any platform from inside AdEspresso
- Manage Optimization – Ensure the campaign delivery is on-point with comprehensive dashboarding
- Collaborate – Collaborate with your team to improve campaign delivery
- Analyze Performance – Access reports across campaigns for easier analysis
Pricing
AdEspresso’s pricing ranges between $49 per month billed annually to $259 per month, depending upon the features opted for.Â
Vista Social – Social Media Marketing
Developed especially for agencies, startups, and entrepreneurs—Vista Social is the best Buffer alternative for publishing, engagement, and analytics.
Although they are a newer tool, they have quickly grabbed the attention of leaders in the industry by being the first platform to offer TikTok direct publishing and Instagram Reels scheduling.
If you’re looking for a tool with modern integrations and capabilities at a fraction of the cost, Vista Social is a must-try!
Top Features of Vista Social
- Prompt Support – Vista Social provides enterprise-like support regardless of the plan you are on for free.
- Clean UI – When it comes to seamless user experience, Vista Social takes the crown with its simple yet intuitive UI.
- Loved by Startups and Agencies – Vista Social makes it simple for agencies and startups to add and switch between clients, social profiles, and networks in a unified, easy-to-use dashboard.
- Modern Integrations & Features – No more jumping between platforms. Access all the content and data your organization needs! Vista Social supports top social media networks, allowing you to manage your pages and profiles in one place.
Pricing
Vista Social’s free plan lets you connect up to 3 social profiles; after that, it’s only $3/social profile with unlimited users, post scheduling, and connected social profiles!
Conclusion
Marketing is only going to get even more competitive in 2022. Startups on their establishment journey need to be wary of optimizing their marketing expenditure and increasing the impact they create using their marketing techniques. The tools mentioned in this article cover every aspect of digital marketing in 2022, right from SEO to Social Media to Campaign Management. Pick the right tools for your organization and achieve unparalleled marketing success.
Author Bio
Nandini Sharma is the Assistant Marketing Manager at ProofHub – an all-in-one project management software and a top Asana alternative loved by thousands of teams and businesses across the globe. Nandini brings close to a decade of experience in the field and has successfully executed a number of brand-building and marketing campaigns throughout her career.
